Dr. Jud Brewer: Unwinding Anxiety - A Novel Model for Understanding & Treating Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal and necessary component of the human experience; however, under some circumstances normal psychological processes related to anxiety can unwittingly become entrenched in "habit loops" that can keep an individual stuck.  New York Times best-selling author, neuroscientist, addiction psychiatrist, and thought leader in the field of habit change, Dr. Jud Brewer, joins us for a fascinating discussion of his novel model of anxiety as described in his new book  "Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind”.  This discussion includes a consideration of:  the evolutionary value of emotions and Dr. Brewer's perspective on when and how normally adaptive anxiety can evolve into a self-defeating habit  the mechanism by which anxiety and associated cognitive processes & behaviours can unwittingly turn into bad habitsa consideration of whether rates of anxiety are actually rising and features of our modern lifestyle that could be contributing to such a trendthe value and utility in tolerating uncertaintyan in-depth review of Dr. Brewer's model for understanding and treating anxiety including conceptualizing anxiety as a habit loop as well as leveraging awareness to allow individuals to become attuned to the actual vs. predicted awards of engaging in anxiety habit loopsthe addiction-like dynamics surrounding the cognitive & behavioural experience of anxiety (e.g.,  “wanting” vs. “liking”)why willpower, substitution, stimulus control & environmental manipulation are strategies that are oversold with respect to their ability to affect changethe importance of finding the "bigger, better offer" to derail anxious habit loops & why Dr. Brewer feels mindfulness, curiosity & kindness are critical in this respecta brief consideration of how his model dovetails with traditional CBT Dr. Jud Brewer is a New York Times best-selling author, neuroscientist, addiction psychiatrist, and thought leader in the field of habit change. He is the Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, where he also serves as an associate professor. He is the executive medical director at Sharecare Inc. and a research affiliate at MIT. Dr. Brewer has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety. His new book is called “Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind”https://drjud.com/Follow Dr. Jud Brewer on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

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Thoughts on Record is the podcast of the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (OICBT) located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Each week we explore topics relevant to clinicians and mental health consumers from a cognitive behavioural perspective; however, if you’re generally interested in psychology, psychotherapy, evolutionary psychology, mental health, the brain, dynamics of human behaviour, creativity, wellness & performance then this podcast will certainly be of interest to you. Thoughts on Record is hosted by OICBT clinical psychologist Dr. Pete Kelly, C. Psych. Dr. Kelly is a Clinical Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Kelly is actively involved in directing speciality programming at OICBT, teaching and supervision, providing workshops to mental health professionals and is a frequent speaker to organizations around the impact of stress on well-being. Email the show: oicbtpodcast@gmail.com. You can visit the OICBT at www.ottawacbt.ca. Original theme music courtesy of OPK5, outro music courtesy of Baldhero & Van Whelan https://baldherovanwhelan.bandcamp.com